France kills 10 alleged militants in Mali

French forces in Mali “neutralized” around 10 fighters in a weekend operation against the al Mourabitoun Islamist group, which claimed responsibility for an attack on a luxury hotel in the capital last month, France’s defense ministry said on Tuesday.

Nineteen victims and two gunmen died in the Nov. 20 assault on Bamako’s Radisson Blu hotel. The victims included six Russians, three Chinese, an American, a Belgian, a Senegalese and an Israeli.

A statement released by the defense ministry said fighting during the night from Dec. 19 to Dec. 20 lasted nearly four hours. Read more